[jcstk]

I got into programming through MUDs, have the fondest memories of those times and deeply appreciate their role in my life. I ran up a giant AOL bill playing Dragon's Gate that I had to work off by doing data entry that helped me understand the basics of computing, and then using that knowledge to create so many scripts and highlights in Rapscallion MUD client. After that, I realized I could make more things and never stopped. What a great time. I remember being online when the MUD I played reached their maximum number of concurrent players - 340 - and thinking that the world was so big. Crazy to think about online gaming today.

[telchior]

Those AOL prices were insane. It has admittedly been so long that I'm not sure I trust my memory, but I seem to recall per-minute pricing that could rack up over $20 per hour just from playing any of their text based games. I begged and begged my parents to let me just try one for a few minutes and they very wisely said absolutely not.

A few years went by and suddenly playing MUD / MOOs was free. I honestly miss those days, text-based has a vibe that no graphical game can ever replicate.

[thaumasiotes]

My dad worked for a studio that sold a game to WorldPlay. WorldPlay games charged by the hour, but the developers received AOL accounts that bypassed this charge. Theoretically I could play any WorldPlay game for free, but mostly I played my dad's game, which was free anyway as some kind of "check out our new game" introductory promotion.

There was a small regular community which got wiped out when WorldPlay started charging for it. The studio got more free accounts and gave them to regular players so that the game didn't just evaporate immediately, which meant everyone suddenly had a minor name change. After that, the game evaporated.

[WorldMaker]

Yeah, so many of us with stories of angry parents over too large an AOL bill. If I recall correctly, my month where I did that was in Modus Operandi, the detective themed text game. I don't remember exactly how I spent all that time in MO one month, but I know part of how I spent that many hours was logging into my AOL account from my grandparents' place and a friend's place, in addition to what I was doing at home, which contributed to why my parents hadn't tracked that much "screen time" in that era. Amazing to consider how many things changed since then, but also how many of those concerns are the same even if the reasons for the concerns are different.

[jcstk]

Yes, it was crazy. $2/hour in 1997 dollars! Agreed… I think only Pubg has come close to replicating the intensity of emotion in PvP (which was my main interest in playing)